“Who’s The New Kid?” (Sideways #1 Comic Review)

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing: Sideways. He’s one of DC Comics’ newest heroes from the “The New Age of Heroes”. He’s young (like a sophomore in high school young), brown (yay for minorities), adopted (yep) and super-powered. Let’s unpack!

The Deets

It’s 7:03 am on Monday morning, and Derek James, aka Sideways, has just received his newly designed superhero costume from his friend Ernestine. From their opening dialogue, we find that Derek possesses the power to teleport to different locations. On top of his teleporting powers, he also has a measure of super strength. Good to know!

Derek teleports home so that his mother, Helen James, can drive him to school. Apparently, she insists on driving him herself because of the “Dark Nights” event. Through flashback, it is revealed that during the events of “Dark Nights: Metal #1” Derek and Helen were in Gotham and were separated. Derek tells the reader that was when he received his powers. I’m sure more to come in future issues regarding that!

Back in the present,Derek decides today is the day to suit up and make his Sideways debut via live stream after school. Of course, in full first issue form, this does not go as planned. We see our hero met by an unexpected guest. But is it a friend or foe?

My Take

Sideways will be an interesting hero to follow. Teleportation is personally one of my favorite superpowers (shout out to Nightcrawler and Hayden Christensen in “Jumper”). So that is a check in my book. Derek’s character also seems pretty interesting. He is a minority, adopted, and in high school. Social anxiety makes for great storytelling folks! The story so far sets a solid ground zero to build on in future issues. I also thought it was cool that Sideways’ origin was tied to the “Dark Nights” event.

I’m a huge Kenneth Rocafort fan. I think his art style is complex in detail while feeling smooth and clean. I’m looking forward to seeing what is in store for DC’s newest, teenaged hero!